


Mortem (Both)

by sebastian_michaelishive



Series: Down On His Knees [6]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Angst with no happy ending, Broken Promises, Crying, Guilt, Lancelot - Freeform, Loss, M/M, Orphans, healthy lancelot, so much crying, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-18
Updated: 2018-03-18
Packaged: 2019-04-04 02:28:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14010201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sebastian_michaelishive/pseuds/sebastian_michaelishive
Summary: The finale





	Mortem (Both)

**Author's Note:**

> This is a special story since it has two chapters instead of one. The prologue and the finale. 
> 
>  
> 
> Neither of them are happy.

It was deathly silent.

   No one spoke a word into the gloomy silence,  feeling the slight rumbling of the ground as the single cruiser fired shot after shot at them. A particularly heavy strike struck the ground at lightning speed, rattling the floor like an earthquake. They all let out a startled yelp, and Loreia whimpered again from where she was held in Lance's arms. He wasted no time in comforting her once again, rocking the toddler in his arms, cooing softly in her ears, pressing soft kisses against her temple until she was quiet once more.

   Lotor looked on at his husband and daughter, his heart aching for the two, especially Loreia.  The poor Princess had witnessed the destruction first hand, as she slept only a few doors down from where the hangar was. The ship had decided to take down the hangar first since that was where Lotor's ship resided. The blow had effectively destroyed the ship, along with the only means of escape for the family and their servants. 

  The blast took out some of the other rooms as well, blowing a fiery, flaming hole through Loreia's wall. Lance had put her to sleep for her nap only 20 minutes before, but found himself sprinting up the stairs, as fast as his legs could carry him, after hearing an explosion wrack the upper hallway. However, he was also hurrying up because of the bloodcurdling shriek Loreia had let out right after. It hadn't even sounded _remotely_ human; more than anything, it had sounded like a frightened animal being brutally slaughtered. 

   He remembered the fear he felt when he came upon the hallway, half the upper portion of the house gone. It had gripped onto his heart, squeezing it like a vice, the icy terror spreading quickly throughout his body like a disease. He couldn't move for a moment as shock overwhelmed him, but a piercing cry snapped him out of his state almost immediately. 

"MAMA!!"

   He bolted into her room, gaping at the massive breach in her wall, the entire thing almost completely wiped out. He could see out from where the roof used to be, choking on his own gasp as he saw a Galra cruiser peering down at them from high above the gray clouds. Horrified, he realized it was charging its lasers once again, preparing to take another shot.

   Lance hoisted a dusty and wailing Loreia up into his arms, gripping onto her for dear life, the charging sound of the canon loud in his ears as he sped off. From the window, he saw a blue particle barrier materialize, surrounding the entirety of the house. The sigh of relief he had let out was shaky, and he saw the incoming beam bounce off. They were safe for now, but he knew it wouldn't last forever. 

   Now, the barrier was starting to weaken. Lotor had sent one of the six servants to check it, and they had come back with a grim face, unable to hide the look of utter hopelessness from his features. Lotor looked over to Lance, who met his eyes with a knowing look, shaking his head slightly. They were running out of time. 

   "Voltron isn't going to get here in time," he said, voice slightly hoarse from not having said much in a while. "And our only ship has been destroyed."

   " _What_?!" Lance cried, shocked. "What about the spare??"

   "Don't you remember?" He told him. "We lent it to the coalition. It was due to be brought...tomorrow..." He trailed off.

   "Tomorr..." Lance swallowed thickly. One more day....if they had only had one more day...

   "And what of the Princess?" Mahama, one of their servants, asked. "Where will she go?" 

   "The safest place for her would be the control room beneath us, " Lotor said.  "One of you would have to stay with her."

   "What of you and Lance?" B'kan asked. 

   "My husband and I will do what I can to hold them off," Lance declared, "Even if it means going out once the barrier goes down."

   "We would like you to help us as well, out there and in here. We would also like whoever stays with Loreia to manage the cannon on the house from the control room, while the rest of you will provide us with backup out there." Lotor explained to them. He felt terrible for asking such a thing from them, especially since almost all of them had taken up the offer to work for the family as a way to retire from the front lines of war, but they didn't have a choice; none of them did. Even if they did refuse, they'd still have to fend for themselves once the troops began to break into the house. It was a lose-lose situation either way.

   "My lords," Straxxus began, coughing a bit from all the dust in the air, "We would never hesitate to join you and the Prince consort on the battlefield, for you have been so kind to us these past 4 years, it is the least we can do to repay you. However, wouldn't it be possible for all of us to wait this out in the control room as well? It certainly is big enough for us all."

   "Initially, that _was_ going to be the plan," Lotor told them, tired eyes drooping slightly, "however, I took the time to think about it. If we all stayed under, resources would deplete quickly since there would be so many of us. One strike would be all it takes to bury us down there, and Voltron may not be able to locate us. I know I sound terribly hypocritical about sending my daughter down there with one of you, but the less people there are, the more resources she will have to survive. If we go out onto the field, we could prevent some of the ground troops from getting into the house, and the cannon may be powerful enough to deal significant damage to the cruiser. I would suggest aiming for their ion cannon first; it is the most dangerous thing on there."

   Another strike with the force a magnitude 5 earthquake shook the ground. Their furniture was slightly displaced, and whatever trinkets or frames that were laying on said furniture began to rattle. Small rocks and pieces dust fell to the ground from up above, chunks of stone shattering upon impact with the hard, marble floor, coating it with fine, white dust. Lotor grunted roughly, and saw the particle barrier begin to ripple as it weakened, the blue shield wavering as it's pattern became visible for just a split second, going back to normal a few seconds later.

   " _No_..." he muttered, knowing what it meant. They had run out of time.

   "We have to go **now** ," Lance got up from where he sat, feeling Loreia starting to fuss in his arms. He turned to Tyra, trying to hand over the toddler. "Tyra, you'll stay with Loreia. The rest of you, th-that barrier is due to go down any second now, s-so gear up and get ready t- _Loreia!"_

   The toddler was full on squirming in his arms now, gripping onto his shirt with an iron grip as she struggled to be pulled into Tyra's arms. 

   " _Mama!"_ she screeched, knowing what would happen if she were to let go. " _Mama no!!"_

   Her fierce hold on him actually frightened him quite a bit, he didn't know she could be so strong. Lotor strode over to where they were and tried to pry off his daughter's hands from her mother's shirt, but found himself astonished at the amount of strength the 4-year old was exerting into her grip. It made a bit of sense though, if he thought about it. Loreia was a child, but she wasn't completely naïve; she had understood enough of their conversation to know what was going to happen. She was going to lose Lance, lose Lotor, lose her mother and her father, the people she loved the most with her tiny, tiny heart. She couldn't stand it, and would therefore cling onto them for as long as she could, refusing to give them up without a fight.

   " _Daddy!_ " she cried, desperately crawling into his arms, her heart rending shrieks piercing his ears, as he held her in his arms, her small body trembling with every sob she her lungs gave out. " _Daddy don't go!!_ "

   "My dear, I have to," he whispered, his arms squeezing her as tightly as he could, as if trying to convey his love for her the best he could for the last time. He hoped she could feel it, that she could somehow absorb the love he held for her into her, that she could feel his affection pumping through his body and in his blood, pulsating throughout his very being. 

   "You said you wouldn't leave me!! You _ **promised!!**_ "

   He choked audibly, feeling the words spear right through his heart. 

   "Oh god," he heard Lance say, the break in his voice all too clear as he tried not to cry. He had heard her as well.

  "I-I know I did," he stuttered, feeling a lump forming within his throat, making it hard to swallow, "And I'm sorry. We are so sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry..."

   He felt himself plunging to the floor, knees hitting the tile painfully, but that was nothing compared to the agony within his heart, clutching the light of his life in his arms, rocking her back and forth, repeating the words over and over again, not knowing that a steady stream of tears accompanied his mantra, the guilt of having lied to his most precious and only daughter wracking his conscience. He and Lance had raised her hopes up with a promise they could not keep, and now they were paying for it.

  Lotor barely registered Lance sinking down next to them, embracing them both. His ocean blue eyes swam with tears, a small whimper escaping his lips as he pressed a kiss onto her head, burying his nose in her hair as he tried to memorize her scent, warm and familiar. He felt a little hand grip his shoulder, but nowhere near as tight as before. Toddlers held a lot of energy, but they spent it quickly. Loreia had tired herself out with all her crying, her sobs audible but less poignant as she sniffled against her parents. 

   "We love you," Lance told her tearfully, "Daddy and I love you so much, you know that, don't you? We don't wanna leave you, munecita, believe me. Our hearts break at the very thought, but we have to go if we want to keep you safe."

   "I-I know," he heard her say, muffled against her father's shoulder. Lotor had calmed down now, resting his chin atop her small head, combing his fingers through her hair gently, soothing her. 

   "If you love something, let it go," Lance whispered, humming the lullaby he'd sing to her when she'd been a baby, small and tiny, just big enough to fit right in the palm of Lotor's hand. His voice had always ceased her tears as an infant, and it ceased her tears now too, her sniffles calming down gradually. His voice, combined with the gentle strokes of her father's fingers through her hair made her eyes droop, slowly getting lower and lower until her eyes were completely closed, dozing off into a deep sleep. Lotor felt the steady rhythm of her heart through his chest, her breaths going at a nice, slow pace as she slept.

   Taking advantage of her unconsciousness, they reluctantly gave their sleeping daughter up into Tyra's arms, the maid wiping her eyes quickly before taking her. She bid a nod farewell to her masters before heading underground through a hidden elevator, and they watched her disappear with the love of their lives beneath the ground, the elevator concealing itself once more.

   They stood there, doing nothing for a few fleeting moments. The two stared at the spot where the elevator had been, and for a split second they contemplated going down there, snatching their daughter back into their arms where she belonged. Instead, they reached out to each other, entwining their fingers together before turning towards the stairs, climbing up the steps in a manner that could only be described as mechanical, a hollow, somber feeling settling down deep within their hearts.

   it was the last time they ever saw their daughter again.

 

 

 

 

 

   Somewhere underground, a banshee screamed.~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> I feel bad. Y'all liked this series because of how happy it was, and now I come out with this shit?? I mean what sort of an evil, cruel, scheming bitch would do someth...oh.
> 
> Nevertheless, I hoped y'all liked (or hated??)!! Comments and kudos are appreciated. Constructive criticism is as well. 
> 
> I sometimes don't go on here for a few days, but I am almost always on my tumblr, even after dark, so come yell at me there at yes-my-paladin on Tumblr!!!


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